In his sermon titled 'God's Word, God's Means for Our Sanctification,' Steve Hopkins discusses the critical role of the Word of God in the process of sanctification, as highlighted in John 17:17. He urges believers to cultivate a diligent and increasing hunger for scripture, emphasizing that the Word is God's primary tool for setting believers apart and making them holy. Hopkins reiterates the importance of daily private prayer and scripture reading, drawing from biblical examples and teachings such as Matthew 6:6 and Mark 1:35. He challenges the congregation to assess the value they place on God's Word, likening it to essential nourishment needed for spiritual growth and maturity. The speaker warns against distractions like entertainment and sports, which can undermine one's spiritual diet, and encourages the use of technology to facilitate access to scripture. Ultimately, Hopkins stresses that immersion in God's Word is essential not only for personal sanctification but also for equipping believers to resist spiritual deception and grow in Christlikeness.

What I want to do in our time we have together this afternoon is to follow up with the call from the past couple of weeks to a greater resolve, the diligence in daily private morning prayer and prayer for one another with a call to a greater resolve and diligence to devour the Word of God even more increasingly. So with that, let's stand for the reading of the Word of the Lord. We'll be reading John chapter 17 and verse 17 only, and then I'll be reading more of John chapter 17 in just a moment. Let's read together this one single line of Scripture, John chapter 17 and verse 17 is the words of our Lord Jesus. Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth.

Let's pray. Father, we ask once again for the Spirit to be given as we open your word, that you might be pleased to, in this time, God, put a greater hunger and a greater thirst for the Word of God in every heart here this afternoon For we ask it in Jesus name. Amen. Let's be seated. So in our last couple of sessions, I know I've been sounding like a broken record.

I've been saying the same thing over and over again, encouraging private daily morning prayer. And I want to get around, you know, to 2026 and it's like, okay, let's start all over on this again. Is everybody on track? Is everybody waking up and going straight to prayer in the morning before you do anything else? You children in here, for you as well, you can start this as well.

Are you getting up, is everyone waking up, going straight to prayer in the morning before you do anything else. I've been mentioning it every week because we've had so many people out. Again, Matthew 6 6 commands us, Jesus commands us in Matthew 6 6 to get alone with God in prayer. Everybody has that, right? In Mark 1-35, Jesus models it in morning prayer alone with God before he does anything else.

Right, we got that. And then in Mark Matthew 6-11, Jesus makes it clear that this is daily, give us this day our daily bread. So it's morning, first thing in the morning, prayer before we do anything else. Is everyone on track? Is everyone waking up going straight to prayer alone with God before you do anything else?

I hope that you are. I hope this has had an effect. That's the teaching of Jesus. I won't hash over all the benefits again. I won't just go over all that again because we've kind of been there.

If you haven't heard those messages, I'd encourage everyone to catch up on the sermons that they may have missed since the beginning of the year. The messages on prayer, the one and others of scripture. Go back and listen. They're so important for our spiritual growth and the life of our church family, and they're available on sermon audio. You can go back and listen to them also on bernadibiblechurch.com if you need to get caught up.

But this afternoon I want to focus on the words of Jesus' high priestly prayer in John 17. If you would turn there with me. Turn to John chapter 17, because I'm going to read 17 verses here. But I want to emphasize and I want to focus on the portions of Jesus' prayer where he talks about the Word of God being given to us, about Him giving the Word of God to us. So follow along with me in your Bibles.

John chapter 17, beginning with verse one. These words spake Jesus and lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, Father, the hour has come. Glorify thy son that thy son also may glorify thee as thou has given him power over all flesh that he should give eternal life to as many as you've given him. And this is life eternal that they may know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou has sent. I glorified thee on the earth.

I finished the work which thou gave us me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Thou me with Thine own self, with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was. I've manifested my name unto the man which you gave me out of the world, Thine they were, and you gave them me, and they have kept thy word. Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou has given me are of thee, for I have given unto them the words which you gave me and they have received them and have known surely that I came out from thee, and that they have believed that thou didst send me. I pray for them, I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me, for they are thine, and all mine are thine, and thine are mine, and I am glorified in them.

And now I'm no more in the world, but these are in the world. And I come to thee, Holy Father, keep through thine own name, those whom thou has given me, that they may be one, as we are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name. Those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the Son of Perdition, that the scripture might be fulfilled. And now come I unto thee, and these things I speak in the world that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.

Verse 14, I have given them thy word, And the world has hated them because they are not of the world even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world even as I am not of the world. And then finally, verse 17, our opening text, sanctify them through thy truth. Thy word is truth.

Sanctify them through thy truth. Thy word is truth. Jesus says, I've given unto them the word you gave me, verse 8. I've given them your word, verse 14. Sanctify them through thy truth thy word is truth verse 17.

Brothers and sisters, we have been given the word of God, God's special revelation to man given by inspiration. The 66 books of the of the Bible given by inspiration. God breathed, Paul says in 2 Timothy chapter 3, what a treasure. What place Has it taken in your life? What value have you placed on this great gift and treasure of God's Word?

Jesus says, I've given unto them the words you gave me. I have given them Your Word. Your Word is truth." And then again, verse 17, I want us to focus on this for a minute. Jesus says, sanctify them through Thy truth. Brothers and sisters, the Word of God is God's means of our sanctification.

The Word of God is God's means of our sanctification. The Word of God is God's means of our sanctification. Sanctify them by the truth, through thy truth. Thy word is truth. To sanctify means to make holy, and the idea is to be set apart.

So God is holy, right? Yes, he's righteous, there's no iniquity in him. We think of that when we think of holy everything, but the word means to be set apart. God is set apart from all of his creation. He is set apart, I think Paul Walsh used the words, in a category all to himself.

He has set apart in a category all his own from all creation. And we are to be set apart unto God more and more. That's what it means to be sanctified and we're sanctified by the truth of God's Word. Set apart for God, to be sanctified, to be set apart for God and set apart for God's use. Set apart to glorify God.

Set apart from the world and worldliness. Set apart from sin unto God. Set apart in our affections, our desires unto God more and more. Jesus says sanctify them, set them apart. That's what it means to be sanctified.

It means to be set apart unto God. Set them apart by thy truth. Thy word is truth. Make them holy. Set them apart, Father, by the Word of God, by the Word of truth.

Well now, as I said a moment ago, the Word of God has come to us in the 66 books of the Bible. And if we would be sanctified, if we would grow in sanctification, in set-apartedness unto God, it must be devoured by us. We've got to be increasingly in in His Word. To the extent we devour the Word of God, we will be sanctified by the truth of the Word. To the extent we devour the Word of God, we will be sanctified by the truth of the Word of God.

What did Paul say in Romans? Don't be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. It's by the Word of God. God's Word is God's means for our sanctification. God's Word is God's means for our sanctification.

How much time are you spending every day seeking to be set apart unto God by the truth of God's Word? How much time, if you were to just write it down right now, this is how much time I'm spending in the Word of God. How much time I'm spending every day seeking to be set apart into God by the truth of God's Word. Our time in the Word reflects the value we place on God's Word. Our time in the Word reflects the value that we place on God's Word.

Job said in Job 23-12, I have esteemed that word has to do with value, the words of his mouth more than my necessary food. Wow, Job. I have esteemed, I have valued, I have placed the value of the words of God's mouth more than my necessary food. I've been emphasizing the call to daily morning private prayer of late and I've said, you know as the air is to the body so prayer is to the soul. Well in the same way as food is to the body so is the Word of God to the soul.

Job said evaluate more than my necessary food. Are you feeding on the Word of God daily? Is your mind being renewed daily by the Word of God? If so, to what extent? And then my next question, could it be increased?

I mean, could you increase that? Would you say today, you know, hearing the things that I'm hearing here, I would consider increasing my intake of God's Word. Some of them might say, well, I'm not a good reader. Well, are you a good listener? You know, the wonders of modern technology provide every one of us the ability to listen to God's Word anytime we want.

Anytime we want. Anytime we want. Anytime we want. I want to hear your word God. I want to hear from you.

I don't think there's a person in this room who would say that they're not reading the Word of God daily, at least I would hope not. So I'll begin with the assumption that everyone in this room at least is at least opening the scriptures every day and receiving some spiritual nourishment and mind renewing truth by which they're being set apart more and more unto God by God's means for their sanctification. The Christian is nourished by the Word of God, the mind renewed by God's Word, but the question again, how much spiritual nourishment are you taking in daily? And can you, could you increase it? Could it be increased?

It matters, you know, just like the nourishment of our bodies with food. A person can overeat physical food, but you can't overeat when it comes to the Word of God. Most of us who would agree with that but but how many would say they think it's possible to under consume when it comes to the nourishment of your souls? We can we can under consume we cannot get what we need the nutrients that we need, spiritual nourishment. I started to quote last night, Matthew 4, 4, and kind of go into that a little bit, man, you're not led by bread alone, by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.

I was really looking at the passage and you know it really doesn't apply really, doesn't really apply to nourishment. Jesus wasn't talking about, wasn't really talking about nourishment here. That's not what he's talking about in Matthew 4 4 as some have supposed. But it is hard to escape the impact of Jesus' words that man shall live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God still. Many Christians have never even read or listened to every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God in Scripture.

That's a sad commentary that there are actually Christians in the world who say I never read the Bible. I've never even read the Bible. Are you reading through the Bible regularly? I want to encourage you to be reading through the Bible regularly if you're not. I think most everyone here is.

Are you consuming God's word daily? Are you meditating on it? Which is what I want to look at next week. I want to talk about meditating on it. But are you are you consuming God's word daily and applying God's word to your life and every circumstance of your life, your business, your marriage, finances, your employment, your emotional state, everything, just your relationships.

Are you consuming the word of God and meditating on it and applying it to every area of your life. You know, we can starve ourselves physically and we can starve ourselves spiritually. It is possible to experience spiritual malnutrition. It is possible to be spiritually malnourished. That's what I meant to say.

It is, just like we could be physically malnourished. We can starve ourselves by replacing also true food with that which is not food, replacing true food. We got a lot of that right, and my wife's big into that. You know, there's a lot of stuff out there, it's not really even food today. We consume it.

We can be consuming things that are not food, that take the place of food. Well, Replacing true food with that which is not food is counterproductive. Many Christians, at least in our day and time in our part of the world, consume the things of our age, entertainment and music and sports more than the Word of God. Consuming the wrong things. It's kind of like the message from a couple of weeks ago on prayer that priorities are just all out of whack.

Priorities aren't right. Got the priorities disordered. And you may have other things come into your mind that are taking the place of it. It might not be entertainment or sports or music, but there may be there's other things that are taking that even good things that are taking the place of the Word of God, of that inculcation of God's truth, which is God's means for your sanctification. This is the will of God for you, Paul said, that you be sanctified.

We got to participate in sanctification. So many are in a sense starving themselves to death and then they wonder why there's so much instability in their lives. We need to be increasingly set apart unto God by truth and God's Word is truth. I was at the GI doc this past week and he was showing me the pictures of the colon and the different functions, all this stuff, function and all it does and kind of reading up on it all. And it was seeing how the colon absorbs water and nutrients.

But it not only absorbs, it also produces. I thought that was interesting. It produces vitamins. I didn't know that. And of course, we know that food provides nutrients to the body and then the body produces all these other things necessary to life.

Well the Word of God nourishes us, but through that spiritual nourishment it also produces spiritual growth, spiritual strength, spiritual health. This is how we grow from infants to greater maturity in the Christian life. This is how we grow from infants to greater maturity in the Christian life. 1 Peter 2, 2, as newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word, that you may grow thereby. I'll just go off on a little rabbit trail here.

When our children were growing up, we had the Bible playing CDs and cassettes as they went to sleep every night. And what I noticed is that inevitably things that they were hearing in their Bible tapes would come out of their mouths throughout the day at times. It was just, it just would happen. And I'd go, wow, that's from that Bible tape playing over and over and over and over again. When Micah was like, you've heard this story before, when Micah was like four or five years old, he'd sit in the back seat of our car, or truck or van or whatever it was at the time.

We're driving down the road, and I've got this guy in the front seat, I won't tell you what his name is, he's not in this congregation. And we're debating on this issue. I won't even tell you what the issue was and we're debating on this issue we're driving along and we're going back and forth and back and forth on this thing all of a sudden this little voice comes out of the back says daddy I heard on my on the Bible tape last night such-and-such and it was directly you know, related to applicable to the debate and ended it. And everybody just sat there and went, okay, you heard it on the Bible tape last night, out of the mouth of babes and sucklings. Some of my say, I'm not doing so well.

Have you been starving yourself to death? Bodily exercise is necessary. Paul says so in 1 Timothy 4, 8. He says it profits a little, Paul says, but godliness is great gain. Well, godliness, that is Christ-like character, comes from inculcating, consuming, devouring the Word of God, which is truth.

And the truth that God has determined will be that by which we'll be sanctified and set apart more and more into Him. Christlike character is great gain, growing in Christlikeness as we're set apart more and more into God by the truth of His word and the renewing of our minds. That's where the real gain is realized and that can only be gained, that Christlikeness through consuming the word of God, which then produces Godly character in us. Young men, you work out, anybody work out? He was even some of the young, young men.

Young man, you work out, that's good. Are you also developing spiritual muscles? I think I heard that from John MacArthur. I can't remember, I think it was John MacArthur talking about spiritual muscles, maybe it was someone else. Are you developing spiritual muscles?

John says in 1 John 2, 14, I've written unto you young men, because you're strong and the word of God abides in you and you've overcome the wicked one. And maybe you're thinking right now, it's not me. But the good news is that it can be young ladies. It goes for you also. Little children and older men and women.

The phrase, the phrase, the phrases John uses in that passage in 1st John 2, 14, little children, young men, fathers, speaks of believers at every stage of their spiritual maturity. It's just this progressive spiritual maturity. Little children, young men, fathers. There's never a time when we do not need the Word of God abiding in us, transforming our minds, renewing our minds, transforming us more into the image of Christ, being formed in us as we grow to greater spiritual maturity. The Word, thy Word is truth, Jesus said.

God's Word is truth. It's truth and we need that truth to change us. But for that to happen, we've got to be in the word. We've got to be in the word. It's given by inspiration of God again.

It's profitable to us, Paul says in 2 Timothy 3. It's profitable to teach us, to approve us, to correct us, to instruct us in righteousness so that we'll be mature, perfect, that word means mature, thoroughly furnished or equipped to do all that God would have us to do. Another thing we need to come to grips with is this, apart from the truth of God's Word and the understanding of it, we're open targets for spiritual deception. You realize how you open yourself up for spiritual deception, especially people that hang out I think on the on the internet rather than hanging out in the Word of God. It's every kind of deception in the world.

You look up a passage of scripture and you go for the, what does this mean? And it's like they'll take you in every which direction but the direction of truth many times. We open ourselves up to be targets for spiritual deception when we are not grounded and continually grounded in the Word of God and the truth of God's Word. The reason that the cults have so much success in targeting evangelical churches and drawing away disciples after themselves, as Acts 20-30 puts it, is because the people of God many times are not grounded in the Word of God. Also of your own selves, Acts 20-30, shall men arise speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after not Christ, after them.

So they come along, the Charismatics come along, they say, look, we can heal anyone, we can heal everyone, we can speak in tongues, we can speak for God, we can speak God's revelation, we can raise the dead, We're just like the apostles and the spiritually immature who are not grounded in the Word of God go running right after them. Millions and millions and millions of people have gone running out to the Charismatics. See, it says it in God's Word, see, it says, but they don't understand. Thy word is truth, And the more we are exposed to the truth of God's Word, the less likely we are to be deceived by the lies of men. If we're grounded in the truth of the Word of God, we're not likely to be tossed to and fro and carried away by the next wind of false doctrine that comes along and it will come along.

The message on prayer I quoted a Ligonier article, priorities gone wrong and it applies to our intake of the Word of God also. Where are your priorities with regards to reading the Word of God, consuming the Word of God, devouring the Word of God, could it be increased for your own spiritual nourishment and the renewing of your mind and your own sanctification and for the glory of God that you be set apart more and more unto God by the truth of his word. Psalm 119 103, how sweet are thy words unto my taste, hey sweeter than honey to my mouth. Can you say that with a psalmist? Can I say that with the psalmist?

Is the word of God desirable to you, sweet to your taste. If it isn't cry out to God, oh God make your word sweet to me, sweeter than honey to my mouth. As the heart pants after the water brooks so my soul pants after you, oh God. Psalm 42, 1. Oh Lord help me to hunger and thirst after righteousness, Matthew 5.6, and be filled.

I'll close with this. I laid down the other night and said, I just wanna go to bed listening to Psalm 119, those 176 verses. I laid my iPad next to me on the bed. It was such an encouragement. You know, every passage of the 176 verses, but one refers to the Word of God either by the words of the categories of testimonies or of statutes or precepts and the ones that really stood out were the direct references or it speaks of God's word over and over again.

And I want to just we're going to end with those this afternoon. I'll just read these and close. 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 wonder from your commandments, thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee. I have rejoiced in the way of your testimonies as much as in all riches.

I will meditate in your precepts and have respect under your ways. I will delight myself in your statutes. I will not forget thy word. My soul cleaves under the dust, revive me according to your word. Let thy mercies come also unto me, O Lord, even thy salvation according to thy word.

So shall I have wherewith to answer him that reproaches me, for I trust in thy word. O take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth, for I have hoped in your judgments. Thou art my portion, O Lord. I have said that I would keep thy words. Before I was afflicted, I went astray, But now have I kept thy word.

They that fear thee will be glad when they see me, because I have hoped in your word. My soul thanks for thy salvation, but I hope in your word. Forever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven. Men, oh how I love thy law. It is my meditation all the day.

I have refrained my feet from every evil way that I might keep thy word. I am afflicted very much. Revive me, O Lord, according unto thy word. Thou art my hiding place and my shield, I hope in thy word. The entrance of your words gives light, it gives understanding into the simple.

O that you would order my steps in your word, and let not any iniquity have dominion over me. Thy word is very pure, therefore thy servant loves it. I prevented the dawning of the morning and cried, I hoped in thy word. Mine eyes proceed or prevent the night watches that I might meditate in Thy word. I beheld the transgressors and was grieved because they kept not Thy word.

Thy word is true from the beginning, and every one of your righteous judgments endures forever. I rejoice at your word as one that finds great spoil. Let my cry come near before thee, O Lord. Give me understanding according to thy word. Brothers and sisters, as we close, I encourage you to prioritize the reading of the word of the Lord and wherever you're at to resolve to go to greater lengths, greater heights.

We've been given God's word and His word is truth. And His word is his means for our sanctification and growth in holiness and in the likeness of him who suffered and died for our sins. Be not conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind by the Word of God. Read it, listen to it, memorize it, meditate on it, be nourished by it, and set apart more and more into God by it for your good, for your own good, and for his glory. Amen.

Let's pray. Father, we thank you for your word. It is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword. It pierces even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, the joints and the marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and the intents of our hearts. And we thank you that it is.

Help us, oh God, to give it the value in our lives, the place of value in our lives that your word deserves and that we so desperately need. For we ask it in Jesus' name, Amen.